I have not looked into any sources on what life was like for a feudal peasant. However, I’ve heard that peasants had more holidays and rest. I also believe the life of a peasant was more communal and satisfactory with religion being a central feature. This, to me, is a stark contrast to the life of the modern proletariat in the Global North who often lives for work, is more and more isolated, and maybe gets only a month off work. Yes, we have higher life expectancy now (quantity) but I cant help but think that peasants had a better quality of life. Please educate me on this topic and provide some sources to look at. Thank you! 🙏
There’s a podcast called “We’re Not So Different” that has covered many aspects of everyday life for working people in (mostly) medieval Europe. It’s super informal and insightful, both co-hosts are Marxists and one is a history professor. I know they’ve specifically talked about the “peasants had more days off” point, but I can’t remember when. But for anyone who’s interested in getting deeper into the subject (but maybe, like me, sucks at reading) I’d give it a big recommend.
Here’s the Spotify link, but you can probably find it on your preferred platform too: https://open.spotify.com/show/5dd2yPjrJJA48s1QXyENZN